33. Leo
Chapter 33
S unday is fairly relaxed. The garage was ready and deep cleaned for at least one new hire to start on Monday, and I had rescheduled every appointment I could to have a week off. I was still on call in case of emergencies but otherwise, we were golden. We did call the firehouse and tell them that we would be shorthanded if they needed us. With our omega going into heat, we wouldn’t be able to leave her alone completely, so Jacks, at least, would stay with her in case something happened.
Candice has tentatively agreed to move in with us, depending on how her heat goes. She says she needs to make sure we’re all compatible, as none of us have really shared before. I can appreciate her caution when it comes to uprooting her life.
Xan, Gabe, and I still plan on going into work on Monday, Tuesday, and possibly Wednesday depending on how she feels. Xan is worried that he hasn’t been able to get in touch with Trey at the garage about their new hire. But figures he can introduce everyone on Monday, and hopefully get at least one more person hired next week, even if they have to wait and train after we all return to work .
Jacks has spent the last week rebuilding and upgrading Candice’s computer. He said he could salvage the hard drive, so she shouldn’t lose any data, and he has been ordering replacement parts to rebuild her system. Xan is spending today helping the two of them rearrange her room with the old furniture, the new desk, and Iggy’s terrarium so she has a proper workspace. She says she doesn’t want charity, but she seems to be taking Jacks’ enthusiasm for gift giving in stride. I want to give her things too, but they seem to have all the bases covered. Feeling a bit useless in the whole courting process, I’m unsure of what I can do for her.
I guess I could ask if she knows any other romantic anime she wants to watch together. Though that is more for me than her.
M onday morning comes bright and early, I am ready to get through this week and I still need to figure out how to properly court my Kitten. But one step at a time, first her heat, then I can help carry heavy things when she is ready to move in…then I can figure out how to make her need me as much as I need her.
This is a plan, or at least the start of one .
Work goes fine, I have three of my reschedules this morning, and everything is just standard checkup stuff. Then I have a bit of time before lunch, so I take one of Dr. Stephanie’s clients since she is running behind, and I owe her for helping Candice. We have lunch, and I think Jacks is trying to build us up for the coming week. He included pasta salad and a protein shake. The post-it says it’s for carb loading and endurance, and I can’t help but chuckle a little.
I’m going to have to give him a quick lesson on nutrition if he insists on doing this. Still, I appreciate the effort. I gag my way through the pasta salad. Jacks is an excellent cook, I just hate pasta salad. It sticks to my teeth, and I can never get the flavor to go away until I can brush with toothpaste.
My cell rings as I’m cleaning up my spot in the breakroom. There are only a couple of emergency numbers that make it through the silence setting, so it has to be important. I look at the number on display and the bottom of my stomach drops out, my pasta salad threatening to make a reappearance.
My voice comes out as a croak. “Hello?” The person on the other line is brisk and straight to the point. “Leo, we need you and your pack mates now, meet us at the station as fast as you can, there’s a fire.” They hang up before I can reply, and I’m dialing the garage as I sprint towards the front.
Gabe picks up on the second ring, and I don’t even let him get through his standard greeting. “Fire, can you and Xan pick me up on the way to the station. ”
“Yeah, lemme jus’…Fuck, Trey’s not back from lunch. Fuck it, we’ll be there in two minutes.” He pulls away from the phone, already yelling for Xan and giving instructions to someone else.
I stop at the front desk long enough to let them know I will be out for the rest of the day, then I bolt out of the building and start jogging towards the fire station. Gabe and Xan know that I won’t just be sitting around waiting, and they can slow down enough for me to jump in the truck bed on their way.
I pull up Jacks’ number on my cell. I know he and Candice were waiting for the window repair guy today, and he won’t be coming with us, but I still need to keep him in the loop. He’ll probably feel the stress from Xan anyway, but it’s still important for him to know why. I stare down at my phone as it goes to voicemail, then hang up and try again.
Four rings later, I am leaving a message as I haul myself over the tailgate and slap the back window. I let Jacks know that we are all on our way to the fire station, we love him, and to keep Candice safe. Then I hang up, grab my gear, and hop on the firetruck as it’s pulling out of the station, sirens blaring.
It isn’t until the truck we’re on turns towards the east side of town, Candice’s side of town, and I see the column of smoke in the distance, that I start to get worried.
Jacks
C andice and I have been here all morning, we’re waiting for the guy that Xan set up to repair the window. But while we wait, I’m helping Candice pack. The idea is that after her heat she’ll move in with us on a permanent basis. She can sell her house eventually, if she wants to. She says it’ll help pay for renovations and her nest, but I’m not worried about that. It’s after noon, and I am just about to suggest a break for lunch. I packed us a picnic so we can share in her backyard, away from any stress she has from the last time she was here and the break-in.
“I’ll get it!” I hear her yell from the kitchen, must be the glass repair guy, so a good time to get out of the house…but it does mean I won’t be able to seduce her in the backyard while he’s here.
Oh well, maybe after he leaves.
“Hi, no, thanks for coming. Do I know you?”
The voice that replies is vaguely familiar. “No, you don’t know me; I’m here to fix the door, Seth Thompson, with Thompson Glass.” I can’t see him from here, that weird twisty feeling in my mind is spinning like a tornado. Worrying that I’ll embarrass Candice if I step out now, I stay in the nest where I can keep an eye on her, but not be seen from the front door.
“Oh, sorry, Mr. Thompson, yes, please come in and I’ll show you the back door.” She has a fake customer service voice right now, like she’s trying to be overly polite, and that twisty feeling pulls tighter. I back away from the nest door, keeping Candice in my sight, she’s not looking at the man walking behind her, but she’s right, he is familiar. He has an ugly sneer pointed at her back, and a big bag of tools slung over one shoulder. Every alarm in my head is screaming at me to get my omega away from this fucker, and I don’t seem to have any control over my legs moving me to do just that.
I grab Candice’s tiny club from under the nest and step out of the door after he passes, I wait as he reaches into his tool bag. Candice is still turned away, talking about the back door and the glass, but as she turns back and sees me over his shoulder, the club raised high, her eyes widen. I don’t want to bludgeon this dude without cause, but my hesitation and her sharp intake of breath lose me the upper hand. He spins around, bringing some kind of big ass wrench with him, and hits me under my raised arm with it.
The sudden shock of pain causes me to drop my own weapon and Candice to scream. I curl inward, my body automatically trying to protect itself from the stabbing pain around my ribs, but I need to stay upright .
I need to get Candice out of here, and I need to keep her safe until help gets here. But I know that face now, I know that angry sneer…and oh fuck…this isn’t a glass repairman. He swivels his head between me and Candice, and I lower my arm on my injured side towards my pocket. If I can just press the panic button on her key, hopefully, they will send someone out.
“You fucking bitch!” He screams at Candice, and I can’t help the growl that erupts from my throat, dragging his attention away from her, even for a moment. “I finally get to meet you, in person, and what the fuck do I find? Some fucking piece of shit alpha in my omegas house.”
He swings the wrench again, and I roll with the hit, getting clipped in the head and dropping to the floor but still conscious, my hand is in my pocket, slamming the panic button down over and over. The world spins, and Candice is screaming, as he raises that fucking wrench over his head. I try to kick out with my legs, knock him down with me since his center of gravity should be fucked with that heavy ass wrench so high.
I manage to clip his ankle, but it just throws his aim off and he brings it down in front of my face instead of on my head, throwing up tiny wood chips out of her floor. Candice has her hands around his arm, trying to pull him away from me, and he turns and knocks her away with the back of his fist. My growl sounds bubbly in my throat, and I wonder if there might be something wrong with my chest from that first hit.
Candice is screaming at him and lunges for his throat, her hands hooked into claws. But though she is fierce, my omega is still tiny. She can’t reach him before he swings again, and her head snaps back. She hits the floor, her skull smacking against the wood with a loud crack.
“Look what the fuck you made me do, stupid dim-witted son of a bitch. Fuck you, you fucking useless piece of shit.” Trey kicks me hard in the face, and everything goes black.